gay goy gourmet: 2008-08

2008-08-28

boston food today

lunch @ orinoco, ice cream @ toscanini’s, dinner @ red fez

2008-08-26

Arieff is Awesome

If you live in a subdivision, condominium or co-op, it’s more than likely you’re part of a homeowners association (HOA). Used to be HOA focused on rather straightforward issues, like maintenance and repairs or landscaping of common areas. But they’ve expanded significantly since the mid-’60s and not necessarily for the good. … Some 54 percent [of homeowners surveyed] said they’d rather live with a “sloppy neighbor” than deal with an HOA.

Count me among the majority. I once suggested in a social setting to Ryan, then just an aspirant to the esteemed title of condo association president that he now holds, that I and most people probably thought this way. I cited some of the absurd restrictions of Scott’s parents’ so-called community. Ryan seemed to view the association as a purely benign entity – countering that most if not all restrictions were “necessary” for “property values.” The problem is that people like him dominate the boards and people like me can’t tolerate the meetings they chair without wanting to blurt out (without Recognition from the Chair, of course), “you've got to be fucking kidding.”

VeryGoodTaste Omnivore’s Hundred

Seems like fun. Via Josh. The linked page has wikipedia links to many of the items.

Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.

Bold all the items you’ve eaten.

~~Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.~~

Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

Venison
Nettle tea
Huevos rancheros
Steak tartare
Crocodile
Black pudding
Cheese fondue
Carp
Borscht
Baba ghanoush
Calamari
Pho
PB&J sandwich
Aloo gobi
Hot dog from a street cart
Epoisses (cheese)
Black truffle
Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
Steamed pork buns
Pistachio ice cream
Heirloom tomatoes
Fresh wild berries
Foie gras
Rice and beans
Brawn, or head cheese
Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
Dulce de leche
Oysters
Baklava
Bagna cauda
Wasabi peas
Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
Salted lassi
Sauerkraut
Root beer float
Cognac ~~with a fat cigar~~
Clotted cream tea
Vodka jelly/Jell-O
Gumbo
Oxtail
Curried goat
Whole insects
Phaal (next time in nyc?)
Goat’s milk
Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
Fugu
Chicken tikka masala
Eel
Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
Sea urchin
Prickly pear
Umeboshi
Abalone
Paneer
~~McDonald’s Big Mac Meal~~
Spaetzle
Dirty gin martini
Beer above 8% ABV
Poutine
Carob chips
S’mores
Sweetbreads
Kaolin (probably in toothpaste)
Currywurst
Durian (only the frozen kind in the US)
Frogs’ legs
Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
Haggis
Fried plantain
Chitterlings, or andouillette
Gazpacho
Caviar and blini
Louche absinthe
Gjetost, or brunost
Roadkill
Baijiu
Hostess Fruit Pie
Snail
Lapsang souchong
Bellini
Tom yum
Eggs Benedict
Pocky
Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
Kobe beef
Hare
Goulash
Flowers
Horse
Criollo chocolate
Spam
Soft shell crab
Rose harissa
Catfish
Mole poblano
Bagel and lox
Lobster Thermidor
Polenta
Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
Snake

2008-08-25

new prints

avant de partir

Objective: to use up 100% of last week's box and start in on this week’s on Wednesday before going to Boston Thurs–Sun.

challah
collards and bacon
salad
cantaloupe basil sorbet
jalapeño → tequila
eat the rest of the peaches (bake / mini cobbler?)

2008-08-24

tango sur wines

That doesn't mean that you should never spend more than $20 on a bottle of wine. One of the reasons to be budget-conscious most days is precisely so that you can afford to splurge every now and then on a wine that you absolutely love, even if it carries a relatively hefty price tag.

2008-08-21

Veneration: August Lunch

In general, I am bad a ranking things, especially in the upper tail of their distributions. This is an exception. It is the essence of summer, made with strictly fresh ingredients at the peak of their seasons, and deeply, deeply satisfying. I submit that there could not possibly be any better midday meal than this tuscan-style bean and tomato stew served with red wine and good crusty bread.

There are a few rules to assert from the outset. First, this dish is to be served with red wine and crusty bread. No spoons, no soggy bread, no white wine, nor any other beverage. Second, I love bean and tomato stew even when it is made in the winter with dried or canned beans and canned tomatoes; however, that is simply bean and tomato stew. This is August stew and will allow no substitutions of these ingredients: fresh beans, fresh heirloom tomatoes, fresh garlic, and fresh herbs. By heirloom tomatoes I mean you either grew them yourself, or you talked to the farmer who did. Choose a variety like these Black Cherokees or even more acidic Green Zebras. Yellow tomatoes are generally low in acid, and I think a bad choice for this dish. Some of the marbley looking yellow-red ones are beautiful on the plate or in a salad, and should be saved for those uses. The herbs can be anything you have or grow or find. I've focused on basil today, but rosemary and thyme and sage and parsley are all good. I especially like sage in the winter version of the dish. Late August is also when the first juicy heads of mature garlic are coming to market. Common rubbery grocery-store stuff is not appropriate for this dish. Good crusty bread comes from an artisan bakery or your oven, ferments and rises for many hours, and contains no fat, only yeast, flour, water, and salt.

For two lunch servings, I used about half to three-quarters of a pound of beans, a pound of tomato (two large ones), four cloves of fresh garlic, chopped as large or as small as you like, and a quarter cup of olive oil. The quantities are flexible; if you like garlic, by all means add more.

Start by heating olive oil gently in a heavy pot; chop the garlic and add it. An enameled cast-iron pot heats slowly but retains heat well. I start with a cold pan over medium heat and that seems to work perfectly for the quantities and timings discussed here.

While it continues to heat, large-dice the tomatoes.

When the garlic is barely golden at the edges – that is, the same color at which you would add the shrimp in gambas al ajillo – add the tomatoes.

Shell the beans, and by the time you’re done,

the tomatoes will have broken down.

Add the beans, adjust the heat as you see fit, cover or don't cover, stir, and then walk away. I took a shower, because I started right after having gone running. Twenty minutes or so later, the beans will be soft, and it's time to add some salt and pepper and any of the tougher herbs like sage or rosemary, stir, and stew ten minutes more.

Finally, I added some basil cut in chiffonade (without any finger this year), though most of the basil I reserved to top the finished stew with. Finish with a sliced cherry tomato or diced fresh tomato, more basil, a drizzle of good olive oil, and some salt and pepper.

Eat. I like to start with the crustiest part of the bread. Any crumbs fall in, making it thicker; at the end, use the soft inside bread to mop up the bowl. If you run out of bread, get more. Do not use a spoon.

summer csa week 12

tomatoes (and cherry and sungold, hiding)
corn
cucumber
collards
cantaloupe
[seedling] peaches
potatoes
leeks!
green peppers
celery

2008-08-20

apsrtable package!

So I finally wrote documentation for apsrtable() and have submitted the package to CRAN.

2008-08-13

Watermelon Alert!

This week's box resulted in probably the heaviest and fullest my bag has ever been.

Subject: Watermelon alert
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008

For those of you who ride bikes, walk, take the bus, etc., 
please note that if all goes as planned I will be delivering 
watermlons this week in addition to your regular boxes. They
do make a heavier load so please plan accordingly.  

--
Thanks, Vicki

Nice of her to warn us! But the rest was insane! In addition to the watermelon – none sold, only for CSAers – there was a massive eggplant and a cauliflower and apples. See below.